First off, it must be said that I am a non-performing songwriter. Sadly, I can't sing to save my life!

But, since I was a boy, tunes have just appeared, from nowhere, into my head. One minute there's nothing, the next minute ... I'm humming a tune that has floated into my mind.

After about 30 years, I thought I ought to try and do something about it and, after many false dawns, I finally managed to find a genuinely talented vocalist (Tammy) who could sing certain of my songs in the studio.

Since 1999, we have recorded quite a number of songs together ... but it was only last month that I managed to get someone to sit up and take notice. And, ironically (given the awesome quality of Tammy's vocal), it was only when another artist took hold of one of my reflective country ballads and took it to No.1 in the Soundclick country charts.

Yeah ... I know ... some 30,000 country songs on Soundclick ... but one of mine actually went to No.1. Of course, whether I ever get any further recognition is obviously in the lap of the gods but I have more and more tunes coming all the time and, I just know I will keep writing, keep recording and I will keep that fire burning.

Hope you like my song.

If you've read my bio, you'll have seen that my songs are written when a tune just floats into my head ... from thin air.

So, I principally consider myself a tune-smith, as opposed to a lyricist and, to that end, I contacted a specialist lyricist in London in the hope that he might be able to come up with words appropriate for my melodies.

Instead, I'm afraid, he asked me to try and come up with some tunes to suit his lyrics! Now, until then, I'd always thought it nigh on impossible to write a beautiful melody to exactly match a set of pre-penned words but, I must admit, I tried it .... and the first tune took just 90 seconds to compose.

Thinking it wasn't so difficult after all, the next day, I tried it with another set of his lyrics and, within 5 minutes, I nailed the tune for "Always". I thought it was quite a nice tune at the time but I didn't think much more of it.

A few weeks alter, when my session singer came round to rehearse a few new songs, I called up the tune for Always by mistake (I simply pressed the wrong button on my keyboard as I retrieved the next song).

I said "sorry, I didn't mean to play that tune"

But Tammy said "let it run, it's beautiful!"

She then asked for the lyrics, tried singing the song, but she wasn't too impressed by the set of lyrics written by the guy from London.

But she said it is such a beauttiful melody ... so she asked me to come up with some new lyrics for her to record it as a ballad about true love.

So, the next day, I've got pen and paper in my hands and I didn't know where to start. I've always thought Lady in Red is just about the most gorgeous love song that has ever been written ... and I wanted to try and evoke that feeling of true, undeniable, undying love ... that is just so rare and so, so special.

45 minutes later, the lyrics were written. They never changed, or altered. Once I'd got into that mood, the words literally flowed onto the page.

If Lady in Red is indeed the most awesome love song ever composed, then Always is my best shot at something in the same vein. It can't compare, of course (nothing can) but, for a tunesmith who had just a white sheet of paper in his hands, it's arguably my best piece of work.

So, I must thank Tammy for telling me I had a lovely melody hidden away on the keyboard but I must certainly thank Chris for his piece of magical inspiration in dealing with pure, unadulterated, undeniable love.

Lyrics:

Just told it to the birds
Don't think they understood
Don't think they cared
Nobody overheard
Don't matter if they did
They ain't been there

Chorus
So right here - Right now
I make this vow-ow-ow
I make this vow
That I will always
Love you
Yes I will always be true to you

Our valley sweeps the land
It's oh so quiet here
All on my own
Life never goes as planned
But should I die right here
Let it be known

Chorus

Bridge
There's not a secret left … un-told
Those special moments left … in code
You are my body and … my soul
My soul …. My very soul

Chorus

Just told it to the birds
Don't think they understood
Don't think they cared